Door chime music box



United States Patent [22] Filed Sept. 17,1968 [45} Patented Dec. 8, 1970[54] DOOR CHIME MUSIC BOX 2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl. 84/94; 58/54; 116/129, 116/93 [50] Field of Search 84/94,95; 58/53, 54;73/43l; 116/129, 93, 94

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,519,782 8/1950 Mueller eta1 84/95 2,795,161 6/1957 Weinman 84/94 2,906,863 9/1959 Ritter 73/431Primary Examiner-Richard B. Wilkinson Assistant Examiner-Lawrence R.Franklin Attorney-Albert M. Zalkind ABSTRACT: The invention relates tothe use of Swiss music boxes as door chimes and the particular featureresides in providing a housing and mount for a music box which is simpleand economical in manufacture and readily installed on a door or inconjunction with a door so as to be operated upon opening of the door.In particular, the invention comprises a housing of molded plastichaving integral posts for the mounting of a conventional music boxtherein and a guard collar for a string wound pulley which winds up themusic box. In addition, the housing provides integral elements usable aswells for receiving screws to fasten the device to a door or wall andalso functioning as clips to hold a closure disk or plate across theotherwise open rear of the housing as a dust and protective cover.

Pmmmnm 8mm 3545328 FIG. 1

INVENTOR ANDREW ABRAMS ATTORNEY DOOR CHIME MUSIC BOX Briefly, theinvention comprises a cuplike housing molded of plastic within which issecured a music box of a conventional spring-wound type having a windingshaft to which is keyed a pulley and around which pulley there arewrapped two or three turns of string which comes out through an openingin a collar which is an integral part of the housing and into whichcollar the pulley protrudes so that the string is prevented from comingoff the pulley. The string also passes through the housing so that itcan be manipulated from the exterior thereof in the usual mannerJThemusic box is mounted in a fixed position with respect to the collar onposts extending into the housing and molded integrally therewith. Aroundthe base flange of the housing there are spaced elements which providebores through which screws may be passedto secure the housing to a dooror wall, etc., and which elements also function to grip an end closuremember at a plurality of points with a resilient locking action;

A detailed description of the invention now follows in conjunction withthe appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation partially in section of the housing and musicbox taken generally through 1-1 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is a section taken fragmentarily through 2-2 of FIG. 1

FIG. 3 is a plan view looking into the rear of the housing.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged section through 4-4 of FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawing, the housing comprises a molded plasticmember havingv an inwardly extending collar 14 integrally moldedtherewith and into which protrudes a flanged pulley 17 which will beunderstood to be fastened to the winding shaft 18 of a conventionalmusic box 20. Two or three turns of strong string 24 are wrapped aroundthe pulley between the flanges 26 and the string extends through anopening 27 of the collar and then through an opening 30 of the housingbeing provided externally thereof with a stop member in the form of aball 33 and a pull ring 36.

Arrangements wherein such music boxes are wound and released by means ofa string wrapped on a pulley are not broadly new having been heretoforeshown in the patented art for example, in the U.S. Pat. No. 2,519,782 toMueller et al. and accordingly no particular explanation of the mode ofoperation is necessary. It has also been known to fasten such a deviceto a door with the pull ring fastened to the adjoining wall so that whenthe door is'closed the music box is wound up and when the door is openedthe slack string is taken in around the pulley which is released topermit it to revolve; thus the music box plays as the pulley revolves.When the door is subsequently closed the pull on the string unwraps itfrom the pulley to rewind the music box.

The present invention is for that general purpose or other purposes and,hence, the importance of providing a positive guard peripherally aroundthe pulley by way of the collar 14 so that the string 24 is at all timesconfined between the pulley flanges and cannot unravel or come loose, aswill be appreciated from the construction thus far described.

The invention goes further in that integrally molded with the housingare posts 40, there being three such posts arranged roughly in atriangle, and which serve as a secure base on which to mount the musicbox frame plate by screws such as 43 which screw into boxes ofrespective posts.

Further, the housing has a conically skirted radial base flange 48 atits open end which is provided with flat sided posts 50 having bores 53which can take screws for fastening the device to a door or wall, etc.The inwardly facing flat sides 56 of posts 50 are negatively slanted toprovide an undercut whereby a cardboard disk cover 60 can be snappedinto place therebetween by being pushed axially against the posts pastthe lips 63 and thus locked in position against the radial flange.

A small half moon slot 66 is provided in the flange at the base of eachpost 50 so that the cover disk can be prodded out of the housing by atool passing through a slot and pushing against the small area of thedisk accessible through the slot.

It will, of course, be understood that although the housing has beenshown as relatively plain,.since it is molded of plastic it is readilysusceptible to three dimensional molded ornamentation of infinitevariety as well as readily molded of colored plastics.

Iclaim:

1. In a device of the kind described, a plastic housing having anintegrally molded collar interiorally thereof and a music boxinteriorally thereof, integrally molded support members extendinginwardly of said housing and said music box being secured thereto andhaving a winding pulley rotatably received within said collar and astring wrapped around said pulley and extending outwardly of said collarand said housing, whereby said collar effects a guard for retaining saidstring on said pulley, said housing having a rear flange for attachmentof said device to a door or the like, said rear flange being providedwith posts extending perpendicularly therefrom and having bores forreceiving screws for the fastening of said device, said posts being atleast three in number and spaced so as to hold a closure membertherebetween and having undercut surfaces against which said closuremember can be forced to resiliently spread said posts whereby saidclosure member may be locked by said undercut surfaces against saidflange.

2. In a device as set forth in claim 1, including a slot at each postthrough said flange for access of a tool to remove said closure member.

